Wilcox leads Washington to exhibition win

C.J. Wilcox hit two 3-pointers during a 14-4 run to open the second half and Washington beat Seattle Pacific 70-60 on Friday night, a week after the Division II team beat No. 16 Arizona.

Wilcox made five 3-pointers in all and finished with 19 points.

"I felt this way coming in and the game didn't change my feelings at all; we couldn't play a better team in an exhibition game than Seattle Pacific," Washington coach Lorenzo Romar said. "They really tested us with things that we have been working on since Sept. 15."

A free throw by Washington freshman Tony Wroten expanded the lead to 47-30 early in the second half. Wroten's steal and alley-oop to sophomore Terrence Ross made it 54-35.

Ross had 15 points and Wroten finished with 10 points, four assists and six rebounds.

"It's great to start my college career with a win," Wroten said. "I was kind of nervous for the first game, with the bright lights. Once I started to settle down, it became a better feel of the game."

Washington's largest lead was 75-56 on a 3-pointer from Abdul Gaddy with 1:34 left.

Jobi Wall and Andy Poling both had 12 points for Seattle Pacific. Wall had 24 points in the Falcons' 69-68 win over the Wildcats in Tucson.

"We were scared to death of Wall," Romar said. "We've watched the Arizona game."

Led by Wilcox's 10 points, Washington held a 33-26 halftime lead.

The Huskies used a swarming, trapping defense to harass Seattle Pacific ballhandlers into seven first-half turnovers.

The Huskies also got a first look at their freshmen class. The Huskies played six freshmen in the first half, and eventually played every healthy player on the roster.

Washington ran out to an 8-0 lead. Gaddy, the point guard who missed much of last season following surgery on his right knee to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament, scored Washington's first five points on two drives to the basket. He converted a three-point play on the second dash to the rim. Wilcox then hit a 3-pointer.

"(Gaddy) plays like he was never hurt," Romar said. "In terms of how he's moving. What he did, that's what we've been watching him do. That wasn't a surprise."

Washington assistant coach Jim Shaw was called for a technical foul with 0.1 seconds left in the first half for not sitting down.

Washington center Aziz N'Diaye did not play after suffering a concussion in practice earlier in the week.

"He's getting better," Romar said. "I'm sure he's going to be able to play come (the opener)."